Both Bill de Blasio, Joe Lhota say schools should close on Muslim holidays

Bill de Blasio at an event for Muslim Americans in Columbus Park, Brooklyn, on Wednesday. The Democratic mayoral candidate, as well as his Republican rival, Joe Lhota, says that schools should close on the two holiest days of the Muslim year.

No matter who is elected mayor next month, city kids will likely find two new vacation days on the school calendar: Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, the holiest days of the Muslim year.

Both Democrat Bill de Blasio and Republican Joe Lhota say schools should close on the two holidays, just as they do for major Jewish and Christian days.

It's a matter of "respect" for a religion practiced by an estimated 13 percent of city school kids, de Blasio said Wednesday at a campaign rally with Muslim groups in Brooklyn.

"The origins of this nation (are) people of many different faiths coming together … That's why we have to respect Muslim faiths by providing the Eid school holidays for children in our school system," de Blasio said.

The two holidays fall at different times during the year but often land on school days, including in 2006 when they coincided with a state-wide test.

Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota says he's been calling for schools to close on the two holidays throughout his campaign.

“A child who has an exam on a day that right now is one of the Eid holidays, they're either respecting their religious obligation or they're doing what their education requires of them,” de Blasio said. “They can't do both under our current system."

Lhota said he's been calling for to close schools on the two days throughout his campaign. "We have a growing Muslim community in the city of New York and their religion needs to be respected as all other religions are respected," he said Wednesday.

"We're not going to lose the school days,” he added. “We'll have to extend the school days by those two days. But nonetheless those who are Muslim will be allowed to have that day off to celebrate their holidays."

Advocates have been pushing for the city to give kids the days off for years, but faced strong opposition from Mayor Bloomberg, who raised concerns that adding Muslim holidays to the school calendar would open the door to a flood of similar requests from other religious and ethnic groups.

De Blasio (center) says the city has to 'respect Muslim faiths' by providing Eid school holidays.

Mona Davids, a school parent leader who is Muslim, said she made the difficult choice to keep her kids home on Tuesday despite concerns that absences will hurt her children’s grades or affect them when they apply for high schools.

“I don't think (closing school for the holidays) will negatively impact the learning of students,” said Davids, president of the NYC Parents' Union. “If anything, it will enhance learning in the system because it will give kids an opportunity to learn about another religion."

In 2008, the City Council passed a unanimous resolution supporting legislation in Albany that would make both days of Eid a holiday in city schools.

Muslims perform the Eid prayer at Eyüp Sultan Mosque in New York City on Tuesday.

(Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

The bill was referred to committee in Albany but didn't advance.

"At the time, Columbia University did a study (presented to the Council) and found no negative impact," said City Councilman Robert Jackson, who chairs the Education Committee. "There was very little opposition to it."

Although kids might be happy to have some extra time off during the school years, the days will have to be made up.

State law requires all school districts to offer 183 days of classes, regardless of when those days are.